Poinsettia plant named ‘Dueposouthbel’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant named ‘Dueposouthbel’, characterized by its upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; moderately strong lateral branches; relatively early flowering habit; inflorescences with large bright red-colored flower bracts; and excellent post-production longevity.

Botanical designation: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.

Cultivar denomination: ‘DUEPOSOUTHBEL’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Poinsettia plant, botanically known as Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd., formerly appearing in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/498,364 and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Dueposouthbel’.

The new Poinsettia plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rheinberg, Germany. The objective of the breeding program is to create moderately vigorous Poinsettia plants with strong lateral branches and attractive flower bract coloration.

The new Poinsettia plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in July, 2012 in Rheinberg, Germany of a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. identified as code number EE08-004859-001, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. identified as code number EE09-003507-002, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Poinsettia plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rheinberg, Germany in December, 2016.

Asexual reproduction of the new Poinsettia plant by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rheinberg, Germany has shown that the unique features of this new Poinsettia plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Poinsettia have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Dueposouthbel’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Dueposouthbel’ as a new and distinct Poinsettia plant:

-   -   1. Upright to somewhat outwardly spreading and uniformly         mounding plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Moderately strong lateral branches.     -   4. Relatively early flowering habit.     -   5. Inflorescences with large bright red-colored flower bracts.     -   6. Excellent post-production longevity.

Plants of the new Poinsettia differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Poinsettia flower earlier than plants of         the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Poinsettia and the female parent selection         differ in flower bract color as plants of the female parent         selection have dark red-colored flower bracts.

Plants of the new Poinsettia differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Poinsettia are more vigorous than and not         as compact as plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Poinsettia have thicker lateral branches         than plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Poinsettia can be compared to plants of Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ‘Fiscor’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,364. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Poinsettia differ primarily from plants of ‘Fiscor’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Poinsettia are more upright than and not as         outwardly spreading as plants of ‘Fiscor’.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Poinsettia are shorter and         narrower than leaves of plants of ‘Fiscor’.     -   3. Flower bracts of plants of the new Poinsettia are shorter and         narrower than flower bracts of plants of ‘Fiscor’.     -   4. Plants of the new Poinsettia and ‘Fiscor’ differ in flower         bract color as plants of ‘Fiscor’ have slightly darker         red-colored flower bracts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Poinsettia plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Poinsettia plant.

The photographs on both sheets comprise side perspective views of typical flowering plants of ‘Dueposouthbel’ grown in containers.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Rheinberg, Germany during the summer and autumn in a glass-covered greenhouse and under cultural practices typical of commercial Poinsettia production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures averaged 18° C. and light levels averaged 4,500 lux. Single plants were grown in 12-cm containers and were pinched one time about three weeks after planting the cuttings. Plants were 16 weeks old when the photograph and the detailed description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to Pantone Color Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.     ‘Dueposouthbel’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia             pulcherrima Willd. identified as code number             EE08-004859-001, not patented.         -   Male or pollen parent.—Proprietary selection of Euphorbia             pulcherrima Willd. identified as code number             EE09-003507-002, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About five days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About seven days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically white in color,             actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizers, substrate             temperature and age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant habit and form.—Upright to somewhat outwardly             spreading and uniformly mounding plant habit; inverted             triangle, mounding; inflorescences with large flower bracts             positioned above the foliar plane; moderately vigorous             growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 23 cm.         -   Plant diameter or spread.—About 37.5 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Quantity: Freely branching habit             with about five to six lateral branches developing after             pinching. Length: About 15 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm.             Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Strength: Moderately strong.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to 18-0130.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 10 cm. Width: About 7.3 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Apiculate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Dentate. Texture, upper             surface: Glabrous; smooth. Texture, lower surface: Glabrous;             rugose. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves,             upper surface: Close to 19-0230. Developing leaves, lower             surface: Close to 18-0119. Fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: Close to 19-0315; venation, close to 18-0328. Fully             expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 19-0230; venation,             close to 17-0330. Petioles: Length: About 4.3 cm. Diameter:             About 2.8 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Color, upper and lower surfaces: Close to 19-1528. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Inflorescence type and habit.—Inflorescences are compound             corymbs of cyathia with flower bracts subtending the             cyathia; one inflorescence per lateral branch with             inflorescences positioned above and beyond the foliar plane.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower naturally during the             autumn and winter under long nyctoperiod conditions;             inflorescence initiation and development can be induced             under artificial long nyctoperiod conditions; relatively             early flowering habit, response time is about eight weeks.         -   Post-production longevity.—Excellent post-production             longevity; plants of the new Poinsettia maintain good             substance and bract color for about twelve weeks under             interior conditions.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 21.5 cm. Height (depth):             About 3.9 cm.         -   Flower bracts.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 13. Length:             About 9.7 cm. Width: About 6.4 cm. Shape: Ovate. Apex:             Apiculate. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Dentate. Aspect: Mostly             flat. Texture, upper surface: Glabrous; smooth. Texture,             lower surface: Glabrous; rugose. Venation pattern: Pinnate.             Color: Developing bracts, upper surface: Close to 18-1657.             Developing bracts, lower surface: Close to 19-1760.             Transitional and fully developed bracts, upper surface:             Close to 18-1657; venation, close to 18-1657; color does not             fade with development. Transitional and fully developed             bracts, lower surface: Close to 19-1760; venation, close to             19-1760; color does not fade with development. Bract             petioles: Length: About 1.7 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: Close to 19-1555.         -   Cyathia .—Quantity per corymb: About eight. Length: About             8 mm. Width: About 5 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Texture, inner and             outer surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color: When developing,             inner surface: Close to 15-0341. When developing, outer             surface: Close to 17-0336. Fully developed, inner and outer             surfaces: Close to 17-0336. Nectaries: Quantity per             cyathium: Typically two. Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About             1 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Texture, inner and outer surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color: When developing and fully             developed, inner surface: Close to 15-1062. When developing             and fully developed, outer surface: Close to 13-0859.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 1 mm.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to             15-0341.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per cyathium: About             ten. Filament length: About 7 mm. Filament color: Close to             19-1656. Anther shape: Oval. Anther length: About 0.5 mm.             Anther color: Close to 19-1627. Amount of pollen: Abundant.             Pollen color: Close to 13-0858. Pistils: Quantity per             cyathium: One. Pistil length: About 1 cm. Style length:             About 2 mm. Style color: Close to 15-0341. Stigma shape:             Crested. Stigma color: Close to 19-2024. Ovary color: Close             to 17-0336. Seeds and fruits: Seed and fruit production have             not been observed on plants of the new Poinsettia to date. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have not     been shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Poinsettia plants to date. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Poinsettia have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 12° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Poinsettia plant named ‘Dueposouthbel’ as illustrated and described. 